February 2026

Hi friends!

Pizza Theology happened (and of course I took no photos). Keeping in theme with the rest of the year, it was our largest Pizza Theology yet! About 500 people came and listened to Brandon and Garrett talk about how to think like a Christian. If you’ve been around, you’ll notice that this is a topic we did in 2021—but is something that we believed our students needed to hear (again).

When thinking of your life 5 years ago, what has changed? Are you still dealing with the same issues? The nature of campus ministry is repetitive and cyclical. Even as the culture shifts and new topics invade the forefront of their (and our) lives, they are still always dealing with some of the same basic truths and principles. Do you hate repeating yourself (like I do)? In 5 years, almost every single student has turned over and our ministry may look completely different. And this necessitates needing to repeat yourself constantly, year over year, to make sure that the same values are instilled in the next generation of students.

So then you have to think to yourself, what topics bear constant repeating, which can we do occasionally, and which do we leave alone until we know we need to do it again? And how do you continue to repeat yourself with the same passion as if it was the first time? Only by the grace of God. Anyways, these are mostly rhetorical questions, just food for thought. :-)

I am currently leading a FOJ (Focus on Jesus), a 10-lesson study about the life and teachings of Jesus and how we can learn from it, with a student at UTD. It has been some time since the last time I led one, but I have noticed that my ability to lead and teach this study has greatly improved, connecting relevant stories and parables in the Bible. Getting to prep for the study has been exciting and fulfilling as I continue to learn and grow in my love and knowledge of God and the Bible. Please be praying as we enter into the second half of this study—that I can ultimately point this student towards Jesus.

Our 30-Year celebration is just around the corner and you're invited! Please help us spread the word by inviting any of your friends who are alumni or with anyone who might like to join.

If you’re an alum, please take a moment to complete our contact update form to ensure you don’t miss any updates. We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone in October. Our big celebration will take place at CityBridge Community Church in Plano.

As the weather continues to improve, I have been playing more volleyball! I’m not the best, but I love to try! This particular day, I was sitting on the sideline for a while because Lily refused to nap or chill. But I enjoy just getting time with friends.

The Seahawks won the Superbowl! It would have been more magical if I still lived in Seattle, but victory is still sweet—especially after the last time the Seahawks met the Patriots in the big game. We went over to Peter and Emily’s and watched the game with a few friends and kids.

My friend Josh from church invited me to watch The Great Gatsby at Fair Park with him. Unfortunately his wife, Mandi (who watches Lily twice a week), was not feeling so great that night, so we brought Kylie along. It was ah-mazing! I last read the book in high school and did not watch the movie, so I only remembered bits and pieces. I’m not sure how true to the book it was, but it was a great show and I highly recommend it!

I had some friends over to play Betrayal at House on the Hill—a board game we played together all the time when we all used to live together about 5 years ago. We had a new member watching as we played.

Stian (in the green backwards cap), one of our pastors at Collin College and a dear friend, invited me out to a Texas Legends game with him and his wife and some other friends. It was the first professional basketball game I have ever attended and it was very interesting. They had bounce houses and other activities for kids on the floor just behind the hoops, a very family-friendly environment. I walked around for a bit just seeing what I could get into (not much).

Happy Lunar New Year! FOCUS at UTD has an Asian “chapter” that I got to host a dumpling-making party for. About 15 people came over and made dumplings, most for the first time. Their dumplings were… interesting… to say the least. They took… creative liberties with how they shaped them. But I’m thankful that my mom has shared a lot of her cooking with me and I have been able to bless so many others with the things I learned from her.

This is my friend, Sharin! She is an international grad student from India. Steph and I have had her over a number of times for movies or dinner, trying to be a little home-away-from-home. She is graduating this spring and currently looking for jobs to stay in America (and hopefully the Dallas area). Would you pray for Sharin as she figures out where God wants her and the anxiety that comes with transitions?

This little girl (Lily) is 6 months old today! Thank you to everyone who has been praying and supporting us—Lily has improved so much and does not have much trouble sleeping, pooping, and eating. She has been such a blessing in our lives as we navigate parenthood and settling into what regular life might look like for us for the foreseeable future. We recently started her trying ‘solids’ like mashed potatoes and avocados. She learned how to hold and eat her feet when she gets tired munching on her fingers. She laughs and smiles and talks like she’s screaming and truly is a bundle of joy.